Emergency Medical Dispatching

The purposes of Emergency Medical Dispatching are numerous and impact many different aspects of emergency medical care.  Outagamie County utilizes a fully implemented Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS).  MPDS has a significant positive influence on pre-hospital emergencies.  Call takers have the ability to have a profound effect on all patients.  The chance to give CPR instructions, deliver a baby or use an automatic defibrillator happens on a case-by-case basis for field crews, but these situations may be happening all at once for an Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD).

An EMD has an impact on 100% of the emergency medical calls.  The medical priority dispatch system focuses on the EMD’s efforts and talents on customer to the caller and care to the victim.  It also allows them to inform emergency medical service responders with patient care information.  Emergency Medical Dispatching improves the quality of

service to the entire community.  The EMD is the sole authority over an emergency scene until the first responding crew can make initial assessments and establish scene control.  In essence, the EMD is the “scene-commander” until someone can physically arrive on the scene.  The EMD knows more about the scene than anyone else does and can provide patient care until someone does arrive.

Through telephone interrogation, the EMD can continually assess patient information.  This information is then used to select appropriate response for each call, which means the difference between an emergency or non-emergency response.  Additionally, the EMD can provide direction to the caller about what to do, or not to do, on the patient’s behalf.  The welfare of the patient is of primary importance to Outagamie County and the emergency medical services system.  The mission of Outagamie County is to help others, not just save lives.